Mates: Book Three
by Sibaas
Summary: The Universe needs saving. The Gods are dying, the Justice Leaguer's lives are falling apart, yet no one seems to care. Can they save everyone? Better yet, can they save themselves? Do they even want to? What if this time....the answer's no?
1. A love thing

Mates: Book Three

Summary: A god has fallen...And must be found...Four parts are lost...Scattered 'round... The universe is in utter chaos. Can the Justice League put it back together again without succumbing to the madness? And at what price?

()

_Poof. Thud. Crash. Yelp!_

C'eridyall looked up from her meditation position, opening an eye to stare at the intruder who had made the loud noise. Upon recognizing the goddess Aphrodite, she sighed, shaking her head. "You should save your strength."

The goddess wasn't in much better shape than she was, truth be told. Apparent when she hadn't even been able to teleport neatly. Stumbling all over the place...coughing...since when did gods cough?

_Since we've started...to die..._

"Yeah yeah..." Aphrodite waved a hand dismissively as she plopped down into a sitting position. "I know, but I was going to lose my _mind _if I stayed in Olympus any longer. So many gods poofing in and out! POOF—fail. POOF—fail. UGH! S'giving me a headache!" Leaned back, running blue eyes around the barren chambers that made up C'eridyall's room. It was drab, true, but definitely quieter.

Which was _very _refreshing. Olympus was nothing but a zoo right now. Ares dying was..._big, _bigger than anything they could possibly imagine. It was different when Zeus took _away _Ares powers, which happened...really often, when one thought of it...at least twice a decade...

But during those times, Zeus would store Ares's powers on Mount Olympus. So the energy was _there, _keeping Earth in balance. The _universe_ in balance. But...when Rao had..._killed_...the god of war...

Said god's entire _being _had been destroyed, powers and all, thus disrupting the balance.

Now gods everywhere were racing to find the ones capable of bringing Ares _back_ because their powers were fading and their people...were slowly dying out... Aphrodite wanted to scream because logic said if it had been an _Earth _god that died, then surely _Earthlings _should be the ones to bring him back. But according to some weird ancient poem thingy everything had to be done a certain _way..._

Which was crap in Aphrodite's mind because they were Gods and when did Gods follow any type of rules? But it was the only thing they had to go on and they...really couldn't afford for things to get any worse than they already were.

Any worst and they...just might fall...

_Damn that Rao... _

Didn't want to think about **him**...or about what was going to happen soon...**because** of him...

So she instead chose to focus on C'eridyall, who...looked really horrible. Normally bright green skin a pale shade, glowing eyes now dim and lifeless...with a sickness that seemed to cling to her body...which wasn't _right..._Gods weren't supposed to fall ill...

"How's H'ronmeer?" Aphrodite asked quietly, aware of how painfully sensitive her...friend...? ...was...

Were they friends? No...not quite...more? Less? Neither of them really knew...or cared.

C'eridyall flinched at the sound, shrugging awkwardly. "He is...growing stronger as days pass..." And more out of control...having to tightly rein in his emotions lest he lose it altogether...an emotionless being who wouldn't even _talk _to her for more than a few seconds nowadays... L'Zoril was just the opposite, growing more violent every time...so angry...getting into arguments with Hades and Zeus...who shouted back, their tempers just as short, if not more...

They were falling apart...

Suddenly lips were over hers and she felt herself relax as a feeling of..._peace_...washed over her. When this...thing had first started between them, she had protested albeit weakly, but that was...months ago...and there was something about Aphrodite that made her hurt less...feel less...lonely...bitter..._angry..._

"Why?" she whispered against the Goddess' lips, feeling her own tremble, "Why is it...that you heal...what He cannot?"

Aphrodite smiled brightly, and then...suddenly things didn't seem so hopeless anymore. "It's...a love thing," she winked, her mouth trailing over green skin in a seductive manner, causing C'eridyall's head to fall back with a loud moan. Her eyes started to regain a little bit of their shine as her fingers ran through blond tresses.

It...wasn't quite enough. There was still emptiness inside, growing wider as the seconds ticked by; an impending doom that never seemed to leave...but...

"M-more," C'eridyall gasped out, arching into Aphrodite's touch.

For now...it was enough.

()

Zeus and Herra are married. But they're siblings. Ares and Aphrodite supposedly have a thing going on. But they're siblings. Zeus has been shown having atleast one male lover before. So have the other gods. I seriously doubt they care about species, race, blood or sex. I think that's just, again, a human thing.


	2. Apathy and Sorrow

Mates: Book Three

Chapter Two

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The Watchtower was in need of some repairs. Sure, the repairs weren't that major…in fact if one were wanting to be anal, they could say that the repairs were unneeded… but to Bruce they _were_. That and a few parts had come in that needed placing. Never_ mind _the fact that they'd been in the cave for the past few week, gathering dust, and that anybody—including Flash—could slip them in place. Anything to get him _out _of the Manor.

It was starting to drive him _crazy_. Couldn't go out as Batman. Oh _no_. That was left up to Dick or J'onn. No, he was to stay in the cave and play Oracle. (Who had yet to check in and was starting to worry…Alfred.) And that had been _fine_. For the first week. And some of the second. Because he'd had to focus on getting control of his mental powers and extra sensitivity. Not to mention J'onn and Gotham had proved to be wonderful entertainers.

But now, now it was week _three _into his exile, he was bored **out **of his mind, J'onn, Alfred, Tim, Dick, **and **Gotham were all pissed at him and if he had to sit around that Manor with their glares and silent treatment (which really was anything _but _silent) for **one **more second Bruce was going to go _crazy_. So he had slipped into his costume, grabbed all his tools and had teleported up to the tower, intending on spending the next three-maybe six if he could stretch it-hours **alone. **In _real _silence.

Except it seemed the _gods _were mad at him too because just _who _did he get on Monitor Duty?

Flash. Fucking _Flash. _

"And _then _the cop said—can you believe this—that I was _out of line_. Never _mind _the fact that the bad guy had a weapon and could have _killed _someone! Oh no I was so totally in the wrong!"

Who'd apparently had a bad freaking _week _and felt the need to rant about it to _him. _Oh joy of joys. Batman had figured that eventually Flash would pick up on his glares and grunts and shut UP but it was now hour _two _into the rant and he was starting to lose all hope.

Well…at least Flash was making himself useful; handing him the tools that he needed. In the correct order. Luckily the speedster was really too caught up in his rambling to sense the faint suggestions a certain Dark Knight was sending. Then **again **maybe if Flash _did _sense him he'd get mad and **LEAVE.HIM.ALONE. **

Batman sighed, the tension in his shoulders leaving as his anger and frustration started to fade away. It had been like this for a while now. He'd feel his temper start to reach the end of its rope and he'd get angry…and then in a matter of minutes he was over it. Usually it didn't take much to push his patience, but that differed depending on what the situation was.

Trying to solve a puzzle? Mix up an antidote? Solve Riddles? Crack Joker/Two Face/Scarecrow/Ivy's latest scheme? No problem. He could focus for hours.

J'onn getting angry over an answer to a question that _he'd _asked?

Alfred pushing just a **little **too far?

Gotham talking **way **too much?

Dick and Tim growing pouty just because he made one….seventeen…**tiny **suggestions?

One hour was his **absolute **limit.

But even this morning's spats were falling away from him, just leaving behind…

Nothing.

And logically, it made sense. What's said was done and staying angry wasn't helping matters at all. He'd been an ass, time to suck it up and fix the damage.

It was just….shocking to have the emotions agree with the logic for once.

He should have been **stewing **over this. Until midnight or the next day even! Then he'd finally realize he was wrong and go about apologizing in his own way. Not feeling…._anything…_was wrong.

Yet neither Bruce nor Batman could find it in themselves to care.

It was like…he was slowly being shoved into a box. A box that was only big enough for him, and none of his emotions. So they started to fade away…

But it was probably…just…all in his mind.

Yeah…

Not worth worrying over…

_()_

"_Are you always so cold Bruce?"_

"_Some days are…harder than others."_

"_And lately?"_

"_Lately it's been...one increasingly hard day after the next."_

"_Do you think it might…have something to do with our bond?"_

"_I've no idea. Do you honestly think I'd tell you if it did?"_

J'onn regretted ever even asking that question. It wasn't the answer that had infuriated him; it was the _tone _Bruce had said it in. He'd sounded so…apathetic. As if he couldn't care less that he'd just insulted four of his family members (Gotham included). When they hadn't been doing anything_ wrong_.

So J'onn'd gotten angry and then they had gotten into a fight that…hadn't ended pretty, with him calling Bruce an unfeeling robot and Bruce heatedly asking why J'onn even _cared _since they weren't _his _family anyway. He'd phased out to the roof and if their bond was correct…Bruce had headed towards the Tower an hour afterwards.

And was now feeling…

Angry, at least for a while. But then that had faded to…..nothing. No sadness, remorse or even humor at the situation. There was just emptiness.

_Again_.

They'd just gotten into a _fight _and the human didn't even **care **enough to feel anything about it! Anger was nice. Anger showed that he felt something. Sadness was preferable. It meant less fighting and more making up. Humor made the making up even easier. But…

_Nothing_?

How could Bruce just **not** care? About all the people he'd hurt….Alfred, Dick, Tim, Gotham…_a certain Martian._

Didn't he care at all? Just a little? Why was he being so heartless _now_? Bruce hadn't acted like this _before _they'd mated. The bond was supposed to make everything stronger. Health, power, _emotions_. So something must have gone wrong with their bond, in order for Bruce to grow increasingly apathetic.

J'onn felt his stomach churn uneasily. Their bond, the _last _Martian bond in the entire universe, was damaged? How…._why? _Was there any way he could fix it? Would Bruce even _care _enough to try? Maybe if it was damaged enough…it could be broken. Wasn't that what the human wanted? To be free of him?

_Perhaps…it's for the best._

Didn't want it to be. J'onn liked the sense of peace that came with being Bonded. It'd been so long… And he liked Bruce, maybe even loved him. Loved the way Bruce made him _feel_. Emotions that were just so _strong _and sometimes it seemed the alien was feeling so much that he thought he'd explode. It was _exhilarating, terrifying, amazing…_

J'onn felt _free. _

Fact of the matter was, Bruce made him feel alive. And he didn't want to give him up just yet.

()

Soooo how'd I do?


	3. Anger and Laughter

()

Mates: Book Three

Chapter Three

This Chapter focuses on Hawk Girl & Green Lantern and Diana & Flash.

()

They don't make love anymore.

They used to all the time. Any and everywhere, not even stopping after being caught...seven times...Because neither of them were shy and Flash and Supes made the most amusing expressions... (though they made sure to never do it when a certain _Bat _was around...)

Her tongue running along his dark skin, smirking every time he made the lightest sound. His green eyes, sparking with lust and love, want and need as he trailed his hands over her curves...

And afterwards, they would just lay there, basking in the afterglow.

They didn't do that anymore.

No, now they just...had sex.

Angry, rough sex. Full of glares and accusations, harsh words that didn't really make sense but cut deep all the same. Instead of basking after the sex, they just dressed and went their separate ways.

Hawk girl wants to scream. Only, lately it seems that's all she's done...because it is.

So she doesn't scream.

Instead she gives the dummy infront of her another violent kick, along with a loud yell. Silently screeching in her own way what she wished she could tell John.

So many things...

Kick! "HAUUG!!"

_I'm sorry._

Kick! "HUAAG!!"

_I don't want to fight anymore._

Breathe.

_I miss your smile._

Breathe.

_I miss being able to make you smile._

Can'tbreathecan't—**Breathe.**

_Didn't mean it..._

Kick! "HUAAG!!"

_I love you._

"You've been doing that for hours."

Though her body turns, Shayera already knows who it is. Can tell by that voice. She's happy to see him. Wants to tell him so...Tell him how screwed up she is, how sorry and that she wants him to **stay**, not leave like he was threatening to earlier... Neither of them are **happy **anymore, he says. Aren't doing anybody any good by making themselves miserable. To which she had retorted, _When was the last time either of us were happy?_

It hurt more than anything that he hadn't been able to answer that...

Before she can stop it, her face curls up with anger. "And you've been on earth for **hours**."

"Oh don't EVEN start Shayera!"

Seconds pass, with them shouting at each other. Or maybe it's minutes or hours. Shayera isn't all that aware of how much time has passed. Isn't aware of when...it became so hard to feel anything besides anger.

But she **is **aware of her mace making contact with a sparkling green shield. How Every blow they deliver to each other, even ones that miss, are burned deep into her mind. She knows that later she'll be attacking the dummy again, screaming herself hoarse, all the while wanting to cry.

Just as she's aware that Wonder Woman and Flash are now walking by the training room. And how instead of trying to break them up, or **something, **they instead keep on walking. Not even as much as a glance.

Shayera **hates **it.

Hates that she **hates **it. Hates that Flash doesn't smile anymore, and that Superman hasn't left the tower in **days, **letting his life on Earth crumble to pieces. Hates how instead of smiles and kisses, all that's left of her tattered relationship are glares and blows.

When did it come to this?

When did it become so hard to..._live? _

When did it stop being _worth _it?

Shayera wants to stop. She wants to throw down her mace and just sob, because this wasn't right. Wasn't how things were supposed to go.

Except she can't. Can't cry, can't love. Can't feel anything. Except raw _anger. _

Shayera hates that too.

()

"I'm not him you know."

Diana rolled her eyes as she continued to towel herself off. "This again? Honestly Wally."

It was always the same conversation after they'd had sex. Wally would state the obvious, and she'd have to spend a half hour placating the speedster. Wasn't _she _supposed to be the woman in this relationship? Or whatever this was?

"Don't call me that!" he snarled at her and Diana forced herself to **calmly** grab the brush instead of chucking it at the man. This time, she succeeded. Most times...

She didn't.

But Wally was a fast ducker, being fastest man alive and all. Though, luckily that didn't apply in bed. Even if it did, Diana knew she wouldn't break it off. That wasn't why she was with the speedster...

"I'm not some replacement for Bats."

Even if Wally wouldn't believe it.

Diana took in a strangled breath. "I know that, Wally. We've been **over **this a million times."

"Thirty seven."

The fact that he even _knew _that was oddly creepy. "So why do you keep bringing it up?!" The brush was now broken into pieces. Tossed it aside, picking up a new one. These days...she was sure to buy everything in bulk.

"Because you don't answer."

She growled. "Yes, I do. You just don't **accept **my answer!"

Which was very frustrating. Every time with the same question...same answer...

He made her laugh.

It wasn't always a happy laugh. Sometimes it was bitter, sad...very rarely happy.

But it was something other than anger. These days...feeling something besides hatred was like a breath of fresh air.

He wasn't Bats. Diana _got _that. She was _glad _of that. Batman was...cold. A frozen statue...Wasn't sure how J'onn did it. Didn't want to know either.

Flash...was different.

"I make you laugh?! You want a **joke **_princess? _How about a riddle?! There's a **bitch **in my bathroom who's outstayed her welcome. Here's a hint; it's **you**." Wally hissed, turning the water back on.

Diana's shoulders slumped. "Wally..."

"**Don't **call me that."

Sadness was...good. Better than anger. Anything...was better than anger. Shaking her head, she stepped back into the shower, pulling him close. Felt him trembling against her, and could tell that he was trying to cry. Trying being the word... "Come on..." Diana cooed softly, nuzzling his neck. "Tell me a joke."

"I-I can't..."

"Try."

He took in a shaky breath. "W-what kind of a witch lives on a beach?"

Diana smiled, her eyes fluttering shut. "I don't know. Tell me."

"A-a Saaaaaaand-witch."

She laughs, but it's more pitiful than happy. "That's really corny."

"Part of it's charm. Want to hear another one? A dirty one?"

Gave him a squeeze as an answer, her hands trailing lower.

"A white horse falls in the mud."

Diana, who had not been expecting that at all, feels a real smile break across her face. "Falls in the mud? That's not dirty!"

"Bet the horse would argue different," Wally chirped, and for an instant it feels like the world has righted itself. Until reality settled in a few seconds later.

"More."

"Okay. Um...this King has these three advisors that he loves like his own brothers..."

But they'd take what they could get.

()

;.; The tears were flowin while writing this one. Anyway, REVIEW! Oh and Shattered is updated...I posted the newest chapter...like...forever ago. Just...FYI...:coughs:


	4. Desperation and Disdain

Mates: Book Three

Chapter Four

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A/N: Hey guess what? I have no internet currently, so instead of continuing my lazy streak (brought on from lack of reviews, sugar and bad upbringing..) I'm instead forced to write yall a few chapters. Damnit it all...

()

Fading

()

Zeus wasn't surprised that the others were failing. He wasn't sure if it's because he was too angry to feel anything besides hatred, or because he'd known it all along.

Known that _they _were going to be the ones chosen for the journey. Of course, Earth was still a few cycles down the line before they could test that knowledge of his, but only because he'd been voted out. The other gods had wanted to try their own heroes out. And if one of the other 'heroes' could do it, then Zeus would gladly step aside and let them...

Yet already fifty-seven cycles had passed by, without any of the other gods having luck with their selections. They could only try once per cycle, and Earth was still quite a ways down the line...but with the way things were looking now...fifty-seven planets and all fails...

Zeus sighed, leaning his head back against his thrown. He didn't want to be right. The prophesy that H'ronmeer had shown up with...was very troublesome. Especially the end...

Not to mention, he didn't know if the Justice League would be...able to tackle the situation. From what he could feel of the situation...they were falling apart just as fast as the rest of them. Though as the cycles passed, Zeus was finding it harder to feel them. Couldn't feel _anything _other than anger. That scared him. It was such a strange sensation, being scared...

Only he didn't have much time to be concerned over such emotions, before anger resurfaced and he'd have to control himself from hurling lightning bolts down at Earth like old times.

Zeus wanted to _kill _Rao for putting them all through this. And he could have done it too! Rao was no longer technically a 'god'. He'd cast off that title the second he'd abandoned his people. Except apparently one of the Martian gods had taken care of that. So _frustrating. _If he had someone to place the blame on, maybe he'd have been able to placate his anger.

But there was no one, just himself and other gods who were all dying at the same rate, and it would anger him so much, that he'd end up shouting at everyone. Then a majority of them would end up shouting back and they'd waste about a cycle arguing with one another.

He stared down at Earth, feeling guilt briefly stir up inside him. _Forgive me, _he begged silently, _for having failed you so much..._

_Poof. _"Fail."

Zeus turned to the god that had interrupted his musings and snarled, "REALLY?! So surprising!"

"WELL EXCUSE ME! WHO WAS IT THAT'D GOT US IN THIS MESS AGAIN?!"

As he started arguing with the winged god, anger clouding his mind once more, he couldn't help the small voice chanting in the back of his mind, _forgive me...for having failed...so much...forgive me..._

Knowing that no matter what happened, he would be the one at fault.

After all, he was Zeus, King of the Earth Gods...

And how could one possibly forgive a god for messing up as badly as he?

()

Bruce stared out at the window, his breath hitching ever so slightly. His face closed off and posture so motionless, that if it weren't for the shaky breaths he were taking, one would think him to be a complete statue. Weeks had passed, with everything falling apart. His relationship with...everybody. Dick, Tim, Alfred, J'onn, Gotham...

Though he was a bit satisfied that he and J'onn hadn't sunk to Hawk Girl and Lanter's level yet. Oh yes, he was quite aware of the blows they gave each other...but he couldn't find it in himself to care enough to say anything to them. Which wasn't new, and was in fact why he was now staring out the window. He didn't care.

About anything.

Hadn't cared when Alfred stopped calling him Master Bruce and started referring to him as _Bruce, _signifying his loss of respect for him. When Tim had packed his bags to live with Dick, he hadn't batted an eye. No pain in his chest or feelings of betrayal or self-hatred. Just emptiness. When Barbra stopped checking in from the assignment she'd been given? No concern or anger. So what? If she was fine, fine. If she wasn't, oh well. The day that Gotham had stopped talking to him didn't irritate or hurt him one bit. The silence had bothered him for exactly one and a half hours, before it had passed.

Apathetic. That's all that he felt. All that he _could _feel.

He'd gone to the extremes at first. Had visited his most haunting memories, even going to his parents' graves, hoping, _begging _to feel some flicker of emotion. Only to come up with nothing. It wasn't possible.

Bruce wanted to care. Wanted to grow paranoid and run tests against himself and all the others, because something obviously wasn't **right**. He was too empty and the others were too angry. Something had to be going on. Except...

He didn't care.

So what if his family was leaving? If he was driving them apart? What did it matter? It should have, but it didn't. Let them **all **leave if they wanted. He didn't give a damn.

Or at least, that was what he'd thought.

"_Do you want me to leave, Bruce?! Is that it!?"_

Until J'onn had threatened to go as well.

And finally, for the first time in months, he'd been able to _feel _something.

Fear, despair, betrayal...a strange twisting in his chest that wouldn't go away, despite all the time that had passed. Twenty minutes, and he still cared.

"_You don't talk to me for WEEKS, don't touch me for days... is this your way of saying you don't want me here anymore?!"_

No...

He didn't want J'onn to leave...him.

Wanted him to stay. He _cared _if J'onn left him or not. Couldn't...stand it... yet... All that he'd been able to do, was look at his mate. No words or expressions... just silence. Like he'd been for weeks.

He cared, he finally **cared, **and he didn't know how to say it. It'd been so long since he'd felt emotions...he'd forgotten how to show them. So instead he'd been silent, and now his mate was...

Leaving him. Like...everyone else had.

"Mister J'onn is **leaving, **Bruce," Alfred stated coolly from the doorway.

Bruce ignored the tone as he walked past his butler and towards the grandfather clock. Stopped in front of it, mind racing. What was he supposed to do? Beg? He shot down that idea almost immediately. Apathetic or not he wasn't going to beg. If J'onn wanted to leave...

He reached a trembling hand out to turn the small ones on the clock, walking down the stairs when the passageway opened. Wouldn't beg. That was entirely beneath him. Yet as he spotted J'onn, pacing erratically in front of the computer, all thoughts of what was 'beneath' him faded away as he pulled J'onn into a tight embrace.

"Bruce--"

Didn't want to hear it. Hear a formal apology about how things weren't working on and maybe it'd be better if they just remained just _teammates. _So he kissed J'onn, deeply, hoping to stall it for as long as possible. Couldn't explain what he was feeling. Couldn't beg. J'onn was going to **leave **and their wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

J'onn roughly pulled away, eyes flashing. "_Bruce, _you cannot expect--"

"Don't..." Bruce's voice sounded unbelievably small, but he didn't care about that or how weak he was showing himself to be... None of that mattered. The only thing that _did..._the only _one_...was on the verge of leaving him. "Don't...leave. Don't go..."

J'onn stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly nodded. "Okay." He leaned his head against Bruce's shoulder. "Okay..."

They stayed like that for the longest time...

()

_When did I lose your respect? _

It's a question that was constantly circling through Clark's mind, growing louder whenever he was in Bruce's presence. It was so loud that sometimes he wondered if Bruce could hear it. _Hoped _that he would, in fact...

Because maybe then he'd get an answer.

An answer he so desperately wanted...

When _had _he lost Bruce's respect? When did Batman start snapping at him with such disdain as when they'd first met? What had he done to lose it? And...was there anyway he could get it back? It was tearing him apart, knowing that he'd lost it.

Batman's **respect. **

To be honest, having the others' respect wasn't really all that much to brag about. They were quick to give it out, slow to take it away, and quick to give it back on the off chance that they did. Batman however...

That had been a slow and steady climb uphill. Sometimes sliding backwards, but once he'd had it... It wasn't a sudden thing, so it wasn't really noticeable all at once, but he'd been able to tell the first time Batman had actually _listened _to his ideas. Didn't make any sense whatsoever. He was Clark Kent, Superman, Kal-El. Last Son of Krypton. What did a _Batman's _respect matter any?

But it **had. **It'd made him stand just a bit taller...knowing that he'd had that.

And now...it was gone.

Just like that.

And he was clueless as to how to earn it back.

"When...why?" he mumbled out awkwardly, seconds before Batman was ready to step onto the teleporter. Batman seemed to be in a hurry, so he probably wouldn't answer... Maybe Clark didn't really want to know the answer. Besides, it's not like Batman even knew what he was talking about.

Then suddenly, the bat turned, staring with those white slits of his and Superman was reminded of just _who _he was thinking about.

"Because of your _stupidity_, J'onn was hurt. Twice." It was stated in an emotionless tone that was becoming very common with the Bat. So different from the others who were so emotional... "Now stop asking, you've been giving me a headache." Batman then disappeared. Probably to the cave or wherever. Maybe to _J'onn. _

Superman didn't know what made him more angry. The fact that he'd lost Batman's respect because of _J'onn_...

Or the fact that he was still...

Jealous.

()

Review. o.o or I'll stop stalking joo. Poor poor Joo. Joo's now crying. Because...he liked me stalking him. ;.; What did Joo ever do to you?!

o.o oh dude...you notice that even though Bruce claims to not care about anything, he still cares about J'onn and things J'onn related?

XD I didn't plan it like that I swear. I was planning on having him totally emotionless... But he snuck that in. Bastard. XD


	5. Always waiting

Mates: Book Three

Chapter Five

By: Sibaas

Disclaimer: I own nothing accept the plot and whatever else I happened to pull out of my ass to make this story possible. Enjoy!

()

It was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose. So many people in the universe. Some boiling with rage and seeing red, others so icy and emotionless that it only served to fuel the other people's anger.

And what's worse was how it happened. Normally, the insane ones were the ones unable to keep a grasp on their emotions. They felt everything violently and without mercy. The sane ones were the ones with tight leashes on their emotions. Now, now everything was reversed. The insane were calm and acting rationally...while the sane were talking about going to war.

Hell had broken loose and was having a party.

They didn't have anymore time to waste.

Unless the gods did something (and fast) the entire universe was going to end up destroying itself.

()

The first explosion had happened actually in Metropolis. It had been loud, causing the ground to shake, and several more had gone off afterwards. Bruce didn't know how many lives had been lost, nor did he care. Neither did anyone else for that matter, if their words were anything to go by.

After Metropolis had started, several cities afterwards followed suit and before any of them knew it, then entire world was in utter chaos. Riots everyone, people breaking into buildings and taking what they wanted, though mostly it came down to weapons and more weapons. Fires had claim lord knew how many lives, and finally, **finally** Bruce found it in himself to care.

Especially when it spread to Gotham. And **his** people had started shooting others and joining the madness. No, not **his** city goddammit. Not when he could stop it. Bruce personally didn't know what the hell was going on. Why the policemen where opening fire on citizens without being provoked. But he did know he couldn't allow it to continue on in his city.

He had ran down to the cave and was in the process of suiting up when his senses kicked in, telling him to duck. Having learned long ago not to question them, he did so, **just** managing to avoid the...teapot that had been thrown at his head? What the...?

Bruce turned around, sighing when he saw Alfred glaring at him. "Was that really necessary?"

"You are **not **going out there Bruce."

Cocked an eyebrow, before pulling the cowl over his head. "I beg to differ." He didn't know what had gotten under Alfred's skin this time, but he didn't have time for it. Gotham needed him.

"Then please, _do _enlighten me, how you'll be able to stand all the battling emotions when you cannot even step foot of Arkham!"

Bruce turned away, lips tightening. It was true. He still hadn't managed to shield himself from such insanity. Harsh emotions still effected him, despite all his hard work. None of that mattered though. "I'll deal with it." Like always. Yes he'd get a little banged up, probably more so than usual with all the bullets flying around but--

"No, you will not! I'm the one that has to patch you up again!"

Bruce dodged the tray that was chucked at his head, feeling his alarm grow slightly when Alfred started tearing apart the batcomputer. "Alfred! Stop!" He pulled the butler away from the machine, grunting when he received a rather sharp blow to his stomach. "I don't have time for this!" With a quick jab, the man was on his knees, unable to move or feel anything. It was nothing permanent, but it would give him time to get out of the cave without having to dodge fists or flying objects.

Alfred let out a shaky cough, watching through angry eyes as _Batman _walked over to his _batmobile. _"Hate...what you do..." He felt his body start to tremble with rage. "Hate watching you go out..._hate _it. Sewing you up...watching you die...HATE IT!" Rage bubbled up in his chest and he screamed, letting years of frustration out with that one sound. "HATE THE BATMAN! I HATE HIM I HATE HIM I HATE HIM!!"

Batman turned around, somehow managing to hold on to his concern. "Alfred..." he crouched next to his old friend. "I'll fix this. I promise." Then the concern had flitted away and he was moving towards his car again.

"Go ahead, _**Batman**_," Alfred spat as the car drove away. "I'll be **waiting**. Always waiting..."

()

"GORDON!" It was a good thing he'd arrived when he had. Just in time to kick the gun that had been aimed at Joker out of Gordon's hands. He'd expected the clown to bust out laughing and hurl some sort of gadgetry at them. Instead he'd just scrambled away and actually **thanked** him. Before he had any chance to ponder about the strangeness of **that**, Gordon had lunged at him, sending a well-aimed right hook to his jaw.

"YOU! It's your fault! All your fault! Goddamn you!"

Batman didn't have to ask what the man was talking about. Instead, he set about trying to bring Gordon down without harming him. Unfortunately, the cop had the exact **opposite** thing in mind for him..

()

J'onn scowled as he escorted the people out of another building, shooting a venomous look at Superman. He didn't know **what** the Kryptonian's problem was. Metropolis had been hit by a lot of explosions and he'd thought he'd been doing the **nice **thing by helping the city out. So the whole rant Superman was doing right now--

"DON'T NEED A—OUT OF THE WAY LADY—FREAKING MARTIAN HELPIN—OUT OF THE WAY! MOVE IT! DO YOU WANT TO DIE!! WELL THEN STAY THERE THEN!—MY CITY AND DON'T--"

was really unnecessary. He wasn't here to pick a fight with the man. J'onn was able to separate his business life from his personal one. He'd keep his thoughts about how-- "Did you even **bother **looking where you threw that?" he hissed to _Superman_. The car had almost landed right on top of a civilian! No...no. Stay focused. Don't get angry at how **ruthless **and **idiotic **the huge, _sorry _excuse of a--

Suddenly Superman was in his face and he scowled as the Kryptonian shouted, "Do you have a problem with how I do my job?!"

"When your stupidity puts the lives of others in danger—YES!!"

J'onn would later be proud to say that he didn't throw the first punch.

()

Flash was at the last of his patience. Not that he had a lot to begin with. Being the fastest man alive didn't really give one a lot of that stuff. And lately his temper had been very close to snapping. So when chaos had literally erupted in Central City, and the woman he'd rescued then started trying to pound the crap out of him, Flash lost it.

His first plan was to zip around and knock as many people out as he could. Simple, fast and effective. But that had gone out the window the _instant _someone had managed to land a punch on him. It had **hurt **like hell and sent him flying back quite a few feet. The thug should have been proud. When Flash was through with him, he'd be able to proudly state that his last moment had been landing one on The Flash.

()

Shayera slammed her mace into the sparkling green shield once again, this time managing to break through. She didn't waste a moment, kicking Lantern hard across the face. "TAKE IT BACK!"

Lantern aimed a huge-sized green fist at her, sending her flying into a building. "NO! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Enough of this drama, of the bullshit and abuse. He didn't want to deal with this anymore. With _them _as a _couple _anymore.

His scowled when she got up and flew back towards him. "SHAYERA! DAMNIT!" Realizing how much damage he'd caused to his city (his apartment was never going to be the same again) Lantern took off towards less populated areas.

()

Diana threw another unconscious body over her shoulder, sending a glare at the other men that had her surrounded. "Who's next?!" She'd been on her way to helping Flash out when she'd stopped to help a woman that had been in the middle of being raped. Not _only _had the woman tried to shove her away, saying she could handle it, but one guy had the **nerve **to put his hands on her.

All thoughts of issuing a warning flew out of Diana's mind when the man tried to grope her. After a broken hand, nose, leg, arm, eight ribs and a jawbone, she'd finally managed to calm down enough to hurl him away from her person. But of course, by then the others had gotten all 'excited' thinking they could capture her or whatever.

The next guy lunged forward, puckering his lips up. Diana disgustingly aimed a harsh kick to the groin. She was going to **kill** him for that.

()

Aphrodite glared at the foreign gods. "What do you mean no?!"

"It is not earth's turn."

She took in a loooooooong _deep _breath. And then several more. And then finally, she shrieked, "Dad! Deal with him!" because anything else would probably start another cycle-long argument and they didn't have enough time for that.

Zeus rolled his eyes. Not at her shriek, but the fact that they'd gone over this several times already. None of the other gods were willing to listen to them. Any attempts at trying to make them would just waist more time. Time that they couldn't afford to lose.

Apollo waited until all of the outsiders were gone before saying, "Remind me again what's stopping us from doing it anyway?"

"Honor," Athena retorted. "It is dishonorable for a god to go back on their word."

C'eridyall sighed, leaning against Aphrodite's form. "Perhaps now is not the time to be worried about such things."

They all tensed at that, knowing she was right but not wanting to admit it. A god's honor was...sacred. Couldn't tarnish that. Their words were binding. Zeus had promised that they'd wait their turn and so they would.

Right?

Right.

Zeus drummed his fingers on his thrown idly for a few moments before sighing, "Round up the League. We'll deal with the consequences later." No sooner had the words left his mouth did his children vanish, happy that things were _finally _going to be right again.

()

I've made some avitars about J'onn and Batman. None of them have any advertisement for my stories. They just have J'onn and Batman on them in cute little positions. There's the one on my profile. Batman going to kiss J'onn. There's that same picture but instead J'onn's saying, 'You're more insane than I first thought--and I'm a telepath.' There's one of Batman thinking of J'onn. There's also one of Batman glaring at Flash and saying, "You will PAY for eating J'onn's chocos!" with J'onn crying in the background. There's also one of J'onn holding his chocos and Batman saying, "I just want ONE J'onn." "NO!". And I think that's it of them. But anyway, leave a review if you're interested and I'll email the avitar of your choice to you.

I also made a youtube video dedicated to J'onn/Batman. Using 'The bitch song' by bowling for soup. It's being uploaded to my cousin's profile on youtube: sabrinaw. It's in the process of uploading right now though...so if it isn't up there, just give it time. www. youtube. com/watch ? vyRhk -5hTcw (Without the spaces)

Check it out and if you like it leave a review cause...it's her thing and I don't feel like checking the profile thing every gajillion minute for comments. I do that enough with my stories for reviews. XD

o.o


	6. Promises to keep, people to save

Mates: Book Three

Chapter Six

By: Sibaas

()

_Bruce? Bruce where are you?! I can't--Bruce?!_

Batman struggled against the three policemen that had him pinned; grateful beyond belief that he'd thought to wear the more protective suit. Without the reinforced armor, Gordon would have long since broken all of his ribs with those harsh kicks and punches. As of now...they were merely cracked.

"Kind of--OFF ME!--busy at the moment Gotham!" he grounded out, managing to get one of the officers off him with a harsh punch to the stomach. Was now struggling to get to his feet, despite Gordon's attempts to keep him down. "What is it?!" And since when was she--ughnn that hurt--talking to him again?

_I can't see, Bruce. I can't see and I can't feel. I-I don't know where anything is! _Batman froze, dropping his guard long enough for Gordon to slam him into the ground again. The harsh contact to the concrete had his back throbbing wildly and his head swimming, but that didn't matter. What mattered was how...frazzled Gotham sounded.

"What do y--AGGHH!! DAMNIT!" He kicked the gun out of Officer #1's hands and with a swift punch, knocked him out. Reached in his belt for something to staunch the wound that was now in his arm, all the while trying to dodge more bullets. A few grazed him, coming dangerously close to nicking a few arteries, but he was, for the most part, whole. Ducked behind an overthrown car to rest for a few seconds, breathing harshly. Damn wound....wouldn't stop bleeding...

"Gotham, what do you mean?"

Silence.

"Gotham?!" Why the _hell _wasn't she answering?!

_I-I ccccaaant...I think I might be...._

Her voice faded out again and he tried to hold on, gritting his teeth to keep from shouting out again. They hadn't found him yet. Needed to rethink his options, access the damage...needed to _focus. _

_I-I'm s-s-sooorry, Bruceeee sorry..._

Could hear the sound of a gun cocking in the back of his mind, but he stayed frozen, only dimly registering the fact that he was staring up at Gordon, whose hands were shaking. Couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Frozen, with the sound of her voice, so fragile, so scared, echoing in his mind.

_I'm scared, Bruce...d-dun wanna.._

"Don't be," he wanted to say, "I'll fix it. I promise. Just hang on." Yet he couldn't. His voice was caught in his throat, and for the first time in a while, he actually felt something.

_Scared...don' wanna...don' lemme die...don wanna die! BRUCE! BRUCE A'SER ME! SCARED! DUN GO! BRUCE?! ARE YOU?!!_

His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

_Don' leave me! _Her voice was shrill and dripping with fear, making his heart clench. _Bruce! Y'WERE POSE TO 'TECT ME! 'RUUUUCEEEE?!?! ARE YOU??! RUCE?!_

He disappeared in a flash of light, seconds before the bullet made contact with his head.

()

Hades reappeared in Olympus in a flash of light, holding tightly onto Batman. He'd managed to teleport the human in just the nick of time, said human having been mere seconds away from death. Noticed he was shaking and frowned. Batman was certainly no stranger to near death experiences. So why...?

Slowly pulled himself away from Batman, feeling his concern rise when he just stood there, face blank and body trembling.

Hades turned his head as he heard J'onn approaching. Sensing that he was no longer needed (and the other Leaguers were starting to fight again) he decided to give the two some privacy.

"Bruce?" J'onn felt his brow furrow when his inquiry was ignored. Wasn't the first time Bruce had ignored him...but he'd never been shaking. Not like this.

How was he supposed to help though if he didn't even know what the problem was? Attempted to pry mentally and only managed to get a few glimpses before mental shields rose up and kicked him out. Knew he wouldn't be able to try again. These days picking up _anything _from his mate was a near miracle.

Still, he'd seen enough in those short seconds.

_Gotham..._

Sighed, knowing that it had to be bad in order for his mate to be shaking so hard. "Bruce..." Tried to swallow his anger when he was ignored once more, aware that this was a sensitive matter and required patience. Couldn't say anything though without snapping, and no matter what he said, he'd just be met with stony silence.

So he instead chose to brush his lips against Bruce's, waiting until the cool lips returned the gesture. _"They found out what's wrong, Bruce. We can fix this. Whatever's wrong, we can fix it."_

The trembling stopped and he sighed in relief when Batman pulled away, every bit as steady and as confident as normal. Seeing him so unwound like that...

Was highly unnerving.

Watched Batman walk over towards where the other Leaguers were standing and wasn't surprised to see Superman glaring at him.

()

Superman should have felt some sort of alarm as he asked Batman to break the tie. After all, Batman's decision would most likely affect the others. J'onn would most likely follow his 'mate', and if Batman, _J'onn _and he were in, Flash most definably would go. Diana would go if Flash went, as would GL. Therefor, Batman's decision was crucial. Everyone knew it.

"What?" Except perhaps the Bat in question.

"So far we're half and half," he explained, still feeling oddly calm. "Wonder Woman, Hawk Girl and I want to go. Lantern, Flash and _J'onn _say it's a bad idea. What do you think?"

Flash was the first to speak up, no doubt trying to get his two cents in as quickly as possible. "They say our 'condition' will worsen once we're in there. We can barely stand each other now! What's to stop us from pounding the snot out of each other once we're in there?!"

Lantern spoke next. "They don't even know where they're sending us off to; no idea of what dangers await there or what we might face. They're going off of some type of scroll!"

"Not to mention every person they've pulled out of there went completely insane afterwards. We are not the first they have approached with this idea. We have no idea what our chances of succeeding would be. There are too many variables and not enough information," J'onn added quietly.

Superman said nothing. Just stood there, a knowing look in his eyes. The others had presented a very good case. The chances of succeeding were nil. Insanity if they should come out. Not enough information. They were probably expecting Bats to come up with some miracle solution that only he would think of.

Yet Superman saw it. Saw what they didn't.

_People to save, promises to keep, eh Bruce?_

Could tell even without his x-ray vision that cobalt eyes were currently burning into his behind the mask and felt a sort-of-smile grace his lips, widening further when it was almost mirrored on Batman's. J'onn may be Bruce's _mate _but there were still some things that he'd yet to understand.

"I'm going."

And just like that it was settled.

()

_"A god has fallen_

_And must be found,_

_Four parts are lost,_

_Scattered round._

_Lost beyond time,_

_'Yond reach and space_

_Each must be found,_

_Put in their place."_

They finished the chant, watching with worried eyes as the leaguers disappeared to who knew where, their insides clenching uneasily. Couldn't sense them _at all_. It was like they were dead. Only not, for if they were they'd be able to feel it.

"Okay we're here, a little late but..."

They all turned around at hearing the other gods appear behind them. Watched as their eyes took in the sacrifice that sat in the middle of the pentagram, that was faintly glowing, signaling that it had just been used. "You....**what did you do?!?**"

Zeus didn't answer, turning to stare back at the spot where Earth's heroes had stood just moments before. What _had _they done?

"**Do you have any idea where you just sent them?! WE HAD A DEAL ZEUS! YOU SWORE ON YOUR--**"

"What good is honor if we are all dead?" H'ronmeer retorted coolly. "We can't play on your pride anymore. Logic says it's an Earth god that died, so it's Earth's heroes that have to go there. We've wasted enough time playing it your way."

"Don't you know what you've done?!" One of the foreign gods cried, his many limbs twitching angrily. (So many gods had entered their domain that they no longer bothered to keep track of their names. All they could remember about this one was that despite it's grotesque appearance, it really was quite a peaceful god...)

"I can't even begin to comprehend," Zeus responded quietly. "And that's what scares me the most."

He doubted even the Fates themselves knew what was going to happen.

()

Oh my GAWD I cannot believe how much time has passed. I really cannot express how shocked and sorry I am. Several things happened and then POOF I blinked and I was like WTF? My girlfriend dumped me, I got sucked into graphics on the game I'm making with my brother, my computer started fritzing out on me, I started working with photoshop and then got the brilliant idea to redo my webpage and...

. Too many creative things. By the time I got done all my juices were dry. But I'm back! And apologizing! ^^;


	7. Death threats

Mates: Book Three: Chapter Seven

()

_Blood. _

_Gushing over his hands, sticky in substance. So much...too much. _

_Hand...his hand? _

_No.._

_Not his hand. _

_No. Don't go. Don't die._

_Come back..._

_Don't..._

_**DON'T DIE! NO!**_

J'onn wrenched himself awake with a strangled sound, trembling too much to do more then stare for a few seconds. He managed to turn himself over onto his left side before his stomach decided to empty it's contents on the ground. The image...burned…engrained in his head, playing itself over and over again. Blood. So much blood...

_Out. Getitoutgetitoutgetitout! _It refused to leave, choosing instead to stay, playing before his eyes over and over again, taunting him.

_Is this how Bruce feels?_ He wondered bleakly, pushing himself into something resembling a sitting position. "Unng..." His body throbbed wildly in protest, causing him to wonder just how long he'd been out. It had to have been a few days...why else would he be so damn sore?

Well, at least he wasn't alone; the others were sprawled out in varying positions nearby. J'onn smiled softly at seeing Flash and Diana curled up together next to a pile of leaves. They looked peaceful together. He felt a spike of envy; Bruce was far away from him...

_Next to Superman._

Golden eyes narrowed sharply, only to widen several seconds later as he realized...

None of them were breathing.

No.

_No__!_

The Martian dashed forward, only to grunt as his body collapsed on itself. He gritted his teeth painfully as he was forced to crawl inch by torturous inch toward his mate's body. Yes, Shayera was closest, but he didn't care about her at all. All he cared about was Bruce.

Who wasn't breathing. Who was too far away. Couldn't make it. Just a little further.

Centimeter by torturous centimeter he moved, until he couldn't move at all. He lost consciousness as he was half-way there, reaching his hand out towards his mate.

()

When he woke up again, it was only for a few seconds. The world was hazy and the most he was able to make out was the purple sky and the fact that it was snowing.

Couldn't move. S-so cold...There was ice over all of them and he grimly wondered if any of them had even made it through the ride or if their bodies simply hadn't been strong enough.

Hated them for that...hated that they were able to die right off, unaware, while he had to su...

_Something twitched in his hand_.

Unable to lift his head up to see, he had to resort to squeezing whatever it--hand. There was a hand in his. It was cold and it was stiff, but it was a hand.

This time he _did _lift his head up, and what he managed to see for the few seconds he'd been able to focus made his spirit soar.

Sometime during his blackout, Bruce had grabbed his hand, and was still holding it with a frightening intensity.

_There was a pulse_. Slow as it was, it was strong and it was _there, _beating beneath his cold, stiff fingers.

J'onn smiled as the snow piled on top of him, before fading away again.

()

There was a something crackling nearby, blazing orange through his eyelids.

_Fire_, his mind supplied not-so-helpfully, and he cringed, instinctively moving away from the flames. He had barely gone a few inches when his body sent sharp twinges of pain through his limbs and he hissed, eyes springing open.

The snow was gone, leaving in its wake annoyingly bright flowers that waved next to his head, showing off their colors. A hand appeared in his vision, adding another log to the fire. Gloved. Black. _Batman_.

"Ba..t..mann..." Hurt to talk. Felt like he hadn't moved in ages. Which, now that he thought on it, was probably true.

"You're awake this time?" his mate's emotionless tone shouldn't have brought him such relief, but it did. So much...

"Nnn."

Batman sighed, and moved towards him, limping heavily but managing it all the same. How could he move? The pain was nearly blinding him after the few minutes he'd been conscious. How long had he been _awake_? He gasped as the dark knight grabbed onto his arm and started moving it around. Took him several minutes, about until the pain finally evened out, but he realized what his mate was doing. _Exercising _the muscles.

"Hateyou...unnn...hateyouhateyouhateyouuuuuuuuu Bruce! Stop it!" _Damn _that **hurt**.

"Join the club," Shayera muttered from the sidelines, and that was when he finally noticed she was awake as well. The way she moved...choppy and entirely stiff, as if she wasn't quite used to doing it yet. So she'd waken up after Br--

"HATE Y--NN!" As soon as he could move, he was going to_ kill _B--ahhh!

When he was finally able to tolerate moving his left arm, first thing he did was claw at his mate's face. Something, anything to make him _**stop**_. Batman batted his hand away impassively, and J'onn noticed there was a faint outline of a bruise on his jaw, along with the nice scratches he'd added. "W-who..?"

"Stupid bastard doesn't understand the word _stop_," another voice came from his right, which he managed pinpoint as Flash's.

White slits narrowed slightly. "You can move now."

"Because that's _such _an improvement," came the scathing reply.

"Yes, I think I would have preferred it if you couldn't move, much less talk," J'onn growled out before Batman could answer, glaring heatedly at Flash. He hated the way he was talking to Bruce. And he'd _struck _him? He'd **dared **to hit his mate?!

Flash was _lucky _he couldn't move anything other then his left arm right now. As if sensing his thoughts the speedster scowled at him, before walking off, limping even more than Hawk Girl had. Which was wo--

J'onn let out a sharp hiss as stern fingers prodded rather harshly, sharply bringing him out of his thoughts. Blindly, he went to claw at Bruce again, only for the prodding to ease up slightly.

That was when he realized that the pain hadn't spiked ever since he'd growled at Flash. Was...? Yes. Batman *was* prodding more gently.

The waves of anger that had been surrounding him for as long as he could remember (how sad was it that he couldn't remember a time before this?) lifted ever so slightly. Enough that he was able to gently caress his mate's jaw line. "My apologies," he murmured softly, managing a smile when Bruce's body relaxed.

Suddenly, the world around them dimmed. There was no anger, no hatred. Just a feeling of peace that wrapped its way around them. Batman leaned over, pressing their lips together. No lust, just a show of affection. A way of saying he appreciated that J'onn had defended him. He felt his eyes shut of their own accord as he savored this moment. So nice...

Just as quickly, it was gone, the world extending again, and J'onn blinked, sitting up painlessly. It was gone. No stiffness whatsoever. He felt his lip twitch as he noticed the stiffness in Batman's movements had eased as well. Flash was definitely _not _going to like this at all.

_Flash. _All of a sudden the anger had returned, surging through his body as he swiftly stood up, intending on putting that _bastard_ in his place. Yes, he was going to _kill _the speedster for what he'd done—

"You did the same thing." The previous warmth had left, cold aloofness returning and J'onn scowled, hating that it was back. "I'm _allowed _to strike you. He is _not_." This made perfect sense to the Martian in his current state of mind.

Apparently Batman also agreed, for he said nothing but stared at him with those ridiculous _white _slits he called eyes. He hated that _cowl_. Hated not being able to see whatever emotion was flashing in those blue orbs.

"I don't wear it to please you J'onn." More importantly, he _hated _how Bruce had no concept of personal boundaries and continued to invade his thoughts. Speaking on annoying creatures…

"Oh. It's awake." Superman's voice was full of disappointment and scorn as he entered the campsite and sat down next to _his _Bruce.

J'onn felt his brow furrow in annoyance, only to smooth out as he took in how that the oaf was limping. "Does it _hurt_ Kryptonian?" Uncharacteristic scorn laced the words.

"Much more now that you're awake, _Martian_."

Sat up, and began dusting his cape off, noting with smug satisfaction at how it didn't hurt _him _to move at all. The smugness disappeared as the oaf continued, "Nice to see you finally awake. Of course, since I woke up first, _I_ was the onewho got to—"

"Shut up Clark," Batman cut in, monotone voice carrying a silent warning.

Golden eyes narrowed. What had the oaf been about to say?

…_since I woke __up __first, __I was the one __who got to…_

To what?

What would possibly make _Superman _wear that insufferable smirk, as if he'd _had _something over J'onn? The answer came to him and he felt his rage boil even more. _Batman_. Something to do with his mate, he was _sure_—

…_since I woke up first…_

If Batman helped the others get moving again, then who had helped...?

The last of the puzzle fell into place and with a snarl he launched himself at Superman. They landed to the ground with a slight 'thud', his hands wrapping around the kryptonian's thick neck, his vice grip not letting up no matter _how _many punches he received.

"**I'll kill you! I SWEAR TO H'RONMEER I ****WI****LL KILL YOU!**" Each word rang with a chilling clarity.

Batman ignored them and continued to stoke the fire. Eventually, J'onn and Superman would tire themselves out. All he had to do was simply wait it out, and --

"GET OFF HIM J'ONN!" Suddenly the Flash was trying to pull the Martian off, which resulted in him starting an assault on the speedster, clearly having not forgotten his earlier assault on his mate. With vengeance in mind, J'onn launched an attack on the only body part he could reach while still strangling Clark, and he was proud to say that he bit hard enough to draw **blood**.

"Son of a--!" Flash jerked his hand away, which was now bleeding profusely.

That of course, blew the last of the meta's patience as he gave out a shrill war-cry and proceeded to _bite _back, resulting in a firm kick to the groin. Before long, the other three members had joined in the brawl and Batman was left on the outside, watching with impassionate eyes as his teammates proceeded to beat the shit out of each other. He knew he should try to stop them…but he didn't care enough to. They would stop eventually…probably.

Let them beat each other to death for all he cared; it just made things easier for him. Fewer team mates meant fewer people. Fewer people meant less noise. Less noise meant that he could finally _concentrate_—

J'onn let out a pained yelp.

Before Bruce was even aware of what he was doing, all the battling parties had ceased their fighting, clutching at their heads in pain.

"DAMNIT Bats!" Lantern shouted above the piercing shrill that was currently running through his mind. "Knock it off!"

When the pain finally eased up, they had all been dragged off each other and Batman was pulling his mate towards where the pond was, no doubt to clean off all the blood the Martian was covered in.

Superman smirked. He was about to project a very loud and _crude _thought when a firm, _"Don't even think about it," _echoed in his mind.

He scowled. "The Martian started it."

Shayera rolled her eyes, giving her ankle an experimental wiggle. No breaks, just sprained. "I didn't see you trying to stop it."

"He had his hands around my throat!" the blue-clad man cried indignantly.

"Unless his hands were made out of kryptonite, you really don't have a firm argument," Lantern pointed out, giving a gash on his arm a prod. Not that deep; wouldn't need stitches.

Clark averted his eyes, rubbing his throat tenderly. The strange thing was, J'onn really _had _been suffocating him. His punches had been fueled by a very _real _desperation to get the Martian off, because for some reason, he hadn't been able to _breathe_. Not that he needed to, he could survive without air for a very long time, but damn if it didn't freak him out. He wasn't used to being _strangled_. Hadn't been expecting that at _all_.

_**I'll kill you! I SEAR TO H'RONMEER I **__**WI**__**LL KILL YOU!**_

_Maybe…it would be for the best if I just…didn't mention Bruce around him?_

He smirked, anger drowning out what little common sense might have been brought to the surface. _Nah._


	8. If thy mind be, both naive and weak,

Mates: Book Three

Chapter 8

()

The pond, despite there being no sun whatsoever, was a pleasant temperature. It seemed to be a light purple color, no doubt reflecting the vibrant sky. The blood itself washed off, but not completely. It had actually left stain-marks on J'onn's skin. It looked like he had some sort of diseased rash. Weird, yet in this strange dimension, kind of understandable.

Batman sighed. It would be so much easier to understand if he knew the rules of this place. All dimensions had laws that they followed. Be it ones of physics or magic quality... Considering how they were brought here, through magic, then it stood to reason that the laws here would make zero sense whatsoever...

Great.

Just what he needed.

"How could you let him _touch you _like that?!" J'onn hissed out, voice full of malice.

A deep part of Batman was _tired _of it all. Of all the anger, the accusations...yet that part was wrapped up in layers of indifference and apathy. "I didn't have a choice."

"I bet you liked it, didn't you _Bruce_?"

J'onn didn't care about being _logical _or _reasonable_. In his hate-ridden mind, all he could think about was Superman _touching _what was his. And how his Mate, instead of letting him _kill _the oaf had dragged him off.

Batman had **defended** Superman.

He didn't get an answer, just that stony silence that he really hated. Hated how Batman just kept staring, refusing to answer because he didn't _care_. No, he was the solid, frozen statue. Nothing _ever _phased the human.

The bubbling rage had surged through J'onn's veins, clouding his vision until the next thing he was aware of...was his mate was on the ground and his fist throbbing.

Yet he couldn't snap out of it. Couldn't drop to his knees in shock like he so wanted to. There was something...there...or maybe it wasn't there....maybe it was missing...But whatever it was, was keeping his anger in place. Was making him think _good, he deserved it._

"Why don't you care about **anything**?!" And why couldn't J'onn stop shouting? Why was he still glaring, when all he wanted to do was sob at the futility of it all? A sharp pain flared up in his head and it was J'onn's turn to writhe, to sink to the ground, as the Bond decided that it didn't find the Martian's abuse to be fitting.

By the time the pain cleared enough so he could sit up, Batman had returned to the group.

He hadn't even stayed to make sure he was okay.

J'onn wanted to scream.

()

_If thy mind be_

_Both naive and weak_

_Thy shall not find_

_What thy dost seek._

Those were the glowing letters that were currently floating in midair. Given the state of the dimension, it wasn't really that weird. It was just...

Incredibly vague.

No other directions were coming forth, just that stupid poem-puzzle-riddle thingy, that was in a strange archaic language but they were all somehow able to comprehend. Obviously there would be some test of wits or knowledge but what _about_?

"If it's brains they want...then....well Batman's kinda smart..." Flash muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to get some of the stiff muscles to loosen up. The crick he had was _killing _him. He wasn't particularly a big fan of the Bat right now, but he had to acknowledge that the man's mind was certainly sharper than say...his own.

"The most obvious answer is seldom the right one," came the monotone reply from big, dark, and creepy.

Before he could get angry over those words, the glow from the letters suddenly spread to all of the Leaguers, making them stiffen up as an uncomfortable feeling washed over them. The glow was...scanning them?

Ironically, Batman was the first one to stop glowing.

Obviously he wasn't _smart enough _for this one, and it made Flash feel unbelievably smug in a juvenile twelve-year old kind of way.

J'onn stopped glowing also.

Then Lantern...and Supes...and Shayera....

Until just he and Diana were left standing in the strange glowy-substance. Wait....

_If thy mind be both naïve and weak..._

So it didn't want smart minds...it wanted....weak ones? Well in that case, Flash could kind of understand why he was a suitable participant.

As far as mental shields went, the speedster's _were _kind of weak, but there was seldom a telepathic who could listen to his thoughts whirl around without getting dizzy after a few minutes, much less try and control them. But naïve? He wasn't naïve...optimistic maybe, but that wasn't the same thing.

Stupid poem-puzzle-riddle thingy..how could it _not _understand the difference?!

Didn't have enough time to get any angrier though, before the glow started to increase, getting brighter and brighter until...

Darkness.

()

"It's about TIME you got here! I've been waiting for you guys for like _ever_!"

The chirpy voice belonged to a small...form.

It kept shifting, seamlessly gliding from shape to shape, as if It couldn't quite make up Its mind on what It wanted to be. They couldn't focus on It either, for It seemed any time they tried, It would disappear. Instead they had to kind of glance, without trying to really look at It. Incredibly frustrating, especially to those like Batman, who couldn't _help _but want to focus on It. To observe It with his analytical mind and drink in all the details he could with those sharp eyes.

"Who are you?" Shayera demanded, rather than asked, eyes flickering with the strain of _not looking_. She too, found it frustrating. "Better yet, _what _are you?"

It made a little _hmm _noise, as if having never considered the question itself. "That's kinda hard to explain. Cause I dunno either. But once I find out, I'll let you know, kay?"

"Is that why we can't really...see you?" J'onn hazard a guess, finding it actually easy to just _glance _at It. He didn't have to know, unlike _some _people.

"Yeup!" It chirped out, bouncing slightly, as if finding endless amusement in such a simple conversation. "You _know _what trees and flowers are. What a pond is. But you _dunno _what I am. So I kinda...shift and slide around, because you can't make up your minds. I'm actually kinda pretty, really. And a bit pointy..." As soon as the Leaguers heard those words, the image brightened and gained sharper points, until It added, "Then again....maybe I'm round...like one of those toys...And tall! Maybe I'm hideous!"

The image shifted accordingly and there were quite a few growls of frustration. Just when they'd thought they _had it_.

A bubbly noise, similar to laughter, rang out. "Okay okay, I'll stop. But only because I might sorta actually not really like you guys!" It sounded so..bright.

How could it be unaffected by all the madness that was going on?

It grinned. Clark wasn't sure how he knew, since he couldn't even _look _at it, but he just...did. "Are _you _responsible for all this?"

More bubbling. "No! I'm just...kind of...a guide? For you. And once this is over, we'll leave and it'll be really fun!" The image darkened slightly, as if in disagreement.

Interesting.

Lantern turned his eyes away from _It _and towards Flash, who was slumped on the ground, unconscious, next to Diana. "What's wrong with them?" Had _It _done something?

"They're in the middle of a challenge. Duh. It must be the very beginning. Usually there's a lot more screaming by now!" _It _brightened, disgustingly happy at the thought of the speedster and princess writhing in pain.

As if on cue, Diana let out a choked sound, her features contorting in pain.

"Oh! It's starting! You might want to sit down...because usually they start bleeding and well...You'll probably do something annoying like _try and help them _so...Oh! Gotta go!" With that, _It _blinked out. Leaving the rest of the Leaguers staring down at their two teammates...

Wondering just what the _hell _was going on.

()

_For the longest time, Flash and Diana just kind of...drifted around. Everything had faded away after the strange glow. But no further letters had appeared; no instructions. Unaware of what they were supposed to do...they just started...walking._

_Well, that was what Diana thought they were doing._

_It didn't feel like they were moving. She **knew **they were moving...they had to be, because the stars were getting brighter. The stars, in the far distance. That were kind of...weird. Different shapes. Some brighter than others, some different colors..._

_But all still beautiful. _

_As they neared the first of the stars, Flash found that they were actually **orbs**. Small ones, about hand-sized...and as his gloved-hand reached out to touch one, images fluttered through his mind. Soft sensations. Innocence. Love. Curiosity. His hands itched to pluck one of the orbs, to hold it to his ear and just **listen** to one of them..._

_But he knew it wasn't right. _

_For he was looking for just **one **orb, and these weren't it. So with extreme reluctance, he glided away from them, and headed towards others, in the far distance, noticing that Diana was already far ahead of him. "Slow down!" he shouted at her. "You're going too fast!"_

_She didn't answer._

_Flash glided a little faster (it wasn't walking, it felt too **weird **to be), and almost stumbled as he came across the next gathering of orbs. More sensations. Not as innocent. Louder. Crude. Tainted slightly. Some left a sick taste in his mouth. They felt sour. Wrong. Flash let out a shudder and forced himself to continue on, having no urge to listen to any of these. Didn't even want to **touch **any of them, and he flinched every time he came close to. _

_Diana hadn't moved too far ahead, in fact it looked like she hadn't moved at all, and Flash quickened his speed. Only the next orbs, seemingly appeared out of no where, and he tumbled into them. These were even louder than the last, like a blasting stereo that's volume was just a tad too high. Their taint seemed to crawl over his skin, sinking deep into his pores. No shame. These orbs were dark and crude and **proud** in their madness. _

_The things they whispered of..._

_Murder. Death. Destruction. Chaos. Mutilation. Rape._

_Had Flash choking as he struggled to get away, only the more he struggled the longer they seemed to want to hold on, seeming to giggle at his misery. They **liked **his discomfort. Reveled in his fear._

_It made him **sick**._

"_The more you fight, the more they resist," came a chirpy voice, as Flash's stomach decided to empty its contents. There was no vomit, but he'd **felt **it leave...It should have made him feel better, but it just increased the feeling of slime that was covering his body. _

"_You know, your girlfriend's not doing much better. It's kind of sad. In a really funny way!" There was a sound of bubbling water, and Flash dimly realized that the voice was **laughing **at them. _

_Girlfriend...Diana? _

_That's right. She'd been farther ahead._

_Struggled against their hold on him, seeing nothing but Diana's motionless form ahead, and finally, finally managed to wring himself free of their slime. _

_Glided forward slightly, only to freeze in terror._

_More orbs._

_These orbs were glinting wickedly, as if snickering at his reluctance to enter them. Diana was just on the other side...but maybe he didn't **have **to go through them? Maybe there was a way **around**--_

"_No, no taking the boring way out! Be fun!" Hands were suddenly on his back, shoving him into the orbs and he was lost to agony._

_()_

The second _It _had winked out, Flash's body started to gain mysterious wounds. Slashes appeared on his arms, ripping through the skin with such vengeance, several of them had hit bone, and all were bleeding quite profusely. Lantern had snapped to action, using his ring to try and contain the bleeding. J'onn was probing Flash's mind, as well as Diana's, trying to figure out what was causing the attack, but he was hitting a block, a wall that was impossible to breach, every time.

That's when Diana's body had decided to join in. Deep gashes appeared across her face, neck and chest, hitting several major arteries. Add on to _that, _she started to have seizures, jerking so wildly that it took both Batman and Shayera to hold her down, both trying to apply pressure to the wounds, to keep her from bleeding out.

Clark had started to burn the wounds closed with his heat vision, only it was so hard to focus, with all the chaos that was going on, that he slipped up a few times, burning them slightly. Add onto the fact that it seemed more wounds were opening than they could contain...

And the **blood**...

That was when the screams had started....

()

_This was different. A different type of madness. This was the thick, hatred laced, insanity that plagued only the darkest of souls. The lost ones. It felt like Flash was drowning. They'd pull him deep under, shrieking at him at such high-pitched levels, clawing at him in places that he hadn't even been aware existed. And he'd struggle, kicking, biting and cursing until he'd be able to get his head just over the surface, enough to breathe, then he'd be yanked back._

_Relentless. _

_They didn't care about anything. It was just one huge fucking joke to them. It was **funny**. Hearing him scream and beg and plead to let go. They loved every second of it. _

_Flash hated it._

_Wanted to kill them **all**._

"_But see, that's the thing. They're kind of...difficult to kill. Because...you can't even really kill them. They can die, and fade and people will forget, but another will come along, just as terrible. Just as wicked. And the cycle will start all over again. There's never an end, really! Isn't that funny?" _

_The stupid chirpy voice was back again. Mocking him. _

"_No, not mocking. Just...trying to get you to realize the stupidity of it. The horribleness of...well..everything. Because it's not **just** human nature. It's really the nature of everything. The core of all beasts."_

_So what was the point?_

"_Exactly!"_

_No, what was the point of the challenge?_

"_Oh, that. Well, it's simple. You have to find his orb. Or his mind, really."_

_Who's mind?_

"_Ares' mind, silly! Don't tell me you've forgotten why you're here."_

_Where's it at?_

"_Oh well see...that's the thing. It's waayyy back there. It's the darkest one yet. He is the God of War you know."_

_So all he had to do...was find this stupid orb..and the pain would end?_

"_Hmmm...mmm...yes, I suppose."_

_Sounded easy enough..._

"_Ah-ah-ah, no, not really. Because, like you said, what's the point?"_

_Flash didn't understand. What's the point of what?_

"_Well, you'll have to go through even more orbs to find his. And really, isn't it quite sad? The way things are? The madness and killing and suffering...haven't you been through enough? Hasn't EVERYONE been through enough?"_

_Enough of the killing. The rape. The murdering. The world was an incredibly dark place. It wasn't just the world either. Other planets he'd gone to, other race's wars..._

_The **Universe **was a dark place. There never seemed to be any light at the end of the tunnel. Never ending battle. Why? Why was he doing this? _

_What was **wrong **with just giving up?_

"_Nothing. There's nothing wrong with it at all."_

_Weak...that was being weak though. Giving up, letting Them win. ...wasn't it?_

"_Letting Them win? Who exactly is Them?"_

_Evil dudes. The people he fought against. The reason he was in the hero buiz. _

"_Well, you're not really giving up in this case. It's more like...you're refusing to save it anymore."_

_That's the same thing._

"_No, it's not. It's **not**. Why save this universe? Why save people who only kill themselves in the end? You know what **happens** if you give up? Nothing changes. The Universe will continue to cave in, until it's finally quiet. There will finally be **peace**. For everyone."_

_Peace. What was peace? Such a foreign concept. People talked about it...but Flash never really saw it in action...never really felt it. _

"_Peace...is freedom."_

_Freedom?_

"_Yah. You know...there's this...urge inside you. All you Superheros, and regular hero guys. It's like....you guys just can't be observers. You can't stand by and watch bad things happen, and mourn the destruction after wards. You have to go out there and stop it. Or at least try. You have to fight back. You can't just ever accept it. Accept the darkness that's out there. You keep fighting, never knowing why, refusing to give up, because of that urge. Imagine the freedom, if that urge is no longer there. Because you don't need to have it. Wouldn't that be beautiful?"_

_Urge? Yes, Flash knew that urge. It was why...he'd put on the costume. Why he'd joined the Justice League. It was what made him answer each call..._

_**Imagine the freedom, if that urge is no longer there. Because you don't need to have it. Wouldn't that be beautiful?**_

_God yes. It would be....so peaceful. No more darkness. No more death, sickness, rape, murder, suicide, destruction, bombings..._

_No more Diana._

_Her beautiful smile. The way her hair fell gracefully around her shoulders. How it smelled of green apples and honey. How she was really quite clumsy if she didn't get enough sleep. She tended to trip over **air. **Only she'd try to cover and act like she **meant **to do it.._

_How she'd eat just about anything if hungry enough. And make some really **disgusting **combinations. Like pancakes with syrup...and ketchup. _

_She tended to mumble in her sleep. She'd end up shouting something really loud, loud enough to wake him up and send him tumbling off the bed, expecting an attack, and she'd just roll over, still snoozing...and he'd try to go back to bed, only to realize she'd stolen the covers. All of them. Even the blanket that he'd brought in as a backup. And he'd think it was all some sort of elaborate plan to horde the blankets only he could never be sure..._

_Because Diana would get this cute confused look on her face anytime Flash tried to ask her. _

_How he'd tried to be romantic, and plan a picnic for the two of them, only for it to rain. And it rained **hard**. Yet instead of shrieking and running for cover like the others...she had laughed and tackled him into a large mud puddle. He could have totally dodged that, no matter what she claimed. _

_The way she would make him coffee sometimes. Cream, thirty-seven sugars and all. He'd take a sip and usually end up wanting to spit it out because no matter **what **she did...it ended up tasting **bad**. Only he couldn't spit it out because then she'd know and it would hurt her feelings so he usually ended up swallowing it down really fast, hoping that the taste would go away if he burned his taste buds...It never did._

_How could someone so beautiful...._

_That filled him with so much hope..._

_How could he even for a second, be willing to give up on **that**?_

_It wasn't possible._

_So he opened his eyes, and struggled out of Their hold and kept on towards Diana's, reaching his hand out for hers. _

"_You're willing to brave all **that**...for her?" Chirpy-voice asked, and It sounded kind of amazed, and a bit sad. _

_He grinned, "Duh."_

_The bubbling sound returned. "I think I kinda like you guys."_

_()_

It was gone.

The insufferable, bubbling rage that had been smothering Flash for **months...**was gone. There was still something missing...Something that wasn't quite right, but it was enough of a change that he could finally **breathe. **Could finally feel something other than anger, or hate.

"_I make you laugh?! You want a joke princess? How about a riddle?! There's a bitch in my bathroom who's outstayed her welcome. Here's a hint; it's you." _Oh god, had he really said that to Diana?

He really did owe her an apology. There were so many things he had to apologize for... Things he'd said and done...that had made sense at the time but now, that his mind was clear, the memories made him wince in regret. Which was a beautiful thing. He could _feel _regret now.

Ow.

And pain. He could also feel pain.

A lot of it. His arms...and stomach...unnng...breathing hurt too. Wow. That had taken a bit to catch up on. And his skin was tingling, like a bad case of sunburn. When had...?

_Must have been the challenge...when they were attacking me...I guess they really were doing damage after all. _Ohhh he could smell vomit too. Ew.

There was something in his hand. It was small and round..oh.

His fingers tightened around it. The orb. Ares' orb. How....? Flash didn't remember finding it. His last thoughts were of getting to--

"Diana! Is she okay?"

Gingerly tried to sit up, despite the muscles in his stomach screaming at him. But he had to know, because if he was this badly hurt and she had been so far ahead of him then it could only mean--

"Don't move."

Cool, emotionless—Bats. Oh man. He owed Batman an apology too, come to think of it. For the whole...punching him thing. "Sorry about...earlier," he murmured out sheepishly, almost afraid that the Dark Knight would try and take his revenge. And most likely it would _hurt_ a hell of a lot more than his had. But when three seconds passed and nothing happened, Flash figured he was in the clear.

"So, ah, Diana? Is she okay?"

Superman came over, eyes looking tired and trembling just ever so slightly. "She lost a lot of blood but she pulled through. She probably won't be awake for a while..."

He nodded in understanding (how _awesome _was it that he could think clearly now?!). "Kay, I'mma konk out in a few seconds....but um....this is.....Ares' mind...be careful....s'if you lose it.....I'mma hurtcha..."

For the first time in forever, he was able to dream.

()

**A/N**: This chapter is kinda full of wtfkery, ya know? Just loaded with it. I dunno where It came from. She kind of just popped in there, when I realized that the leaguers had no idea what was going on, and it'd get pretty boring if it was just them going, 'okay...what now?' So she popped in there, my fingers moving before I realized it, and well, here we are! Woohoo! Chapter 8! About freaking time, yeah? I finally realized why I wasn't typing as much.

Because I was pouring all of my creative energy elsewhere! Photoshop! I'd spend hours, just messing around, making different things, and then the itching need to create wasn't there, because I _was_, creating. So I had no drive to write. But once I took a break from photoshop, dude! Like I've written like three chapters for different stories already. And it's only been two days. How AWESOME is that?! I missed it, man!

Dude it was so freaking HARD to combat It. Because It was making a _lot _of good points. When she was done talking, I felt kinda like a douche for having them save the universe, when really it seemed more merciful to let it die, ya know? I was like, 'but um.........love! Flash! Save it for love!' and Flash was like ':sobs: okay!' …...sooo yeah. Tricky. Anyway, review~!


	9. Thy shall not find, what thy dost seek

Mates: Book Three

Chapter: ...nine? Maybe? o.O I lost track..

()

"You _gave_ it to him? Are my ears deceiving me? Surely you jest." The Master, though obviously displeased, had not raised his voice. Not that It was surprised. Master never raised his voice. No, that wasn't the Master's way. With the Master, the more quiet his tone became, the higher the rage and thus the greater the punishment. It had displeased Master many times before and knew how things worked by now.

Yet it never seemed to stop It, despite how cruel the punishments were. That didn't necessarily mean that It _enjoyed _the punishments, there was something driving It, something that made It struggle against the commands.

It wanted _more_.

Master's voice was low and dangerous, but held the slight stirrings of amusement, which was promising. Way better than when Master's voice fell flat...toneless....

"I dunno why." A movement that might have been a shrug. "I just wanted to, is all." Not exactly groveling words, begging and screaming for forgiveness, but then again, this wasn't--

Energy was suddenly being seeped out of It's being, a hand tightly closed around its form, echoing Master's anger. Darkness was closing in and just as It was starting to feel the whispers of _That Place_....

He stopped. "Next time, little fool, don't be so callous in your decisions."

With that, Master faded away, leaving It alone.

A shuddering breath escaped the creature. This time was easier. Master had pulled back, before It could taste the afterlife. Mercy...he'd shown mercy.

Most of the times...Master waited until It could feel the sunlight against It's skin, peace settling in, washing away the pain... And then every time, he'd pull It back.

Those were the times that It cursed and pleaded and begged. Just to feel _That Place_...for just a little longer...

Yes, It desperately wanted more than _this_.

()

Diana wasn't saying anything. Her breathing had leveled out, the bleeding had stopped, and she'd roused from slumber just a few hours ago. That she wasn't saying much wasn't really surprising, considering where some of the slashes had landed on her throat, but...

She wasn't _responding_ to anyone either.

Not that the others had really tried to communicate with her for long. It seemed that whatever urgency had called upon them to help the two during their time of need, had quickly been snuffed out once Flash had opened his eyes. The speedster didn't even entertain the thought of being angry with them. Just the _idea_ of anger was enough to make his stomach lurch, his mind flinch.

No, he'd feel something else. Disappointment, was a good one. Disgust, also acceptable. But never anger. Not now, probably not for a long time. Because for the first time in forever, he could actually _decide_. Could actually _feel_.

And right now, he felt...worried.

Flash had been there the second she'd woken up, rambling on at ninety-to-nothing, apologizing for everything that he'd done wrong in the past six months, and what he'd _really_ wanted to feel at that instant but just hadn't been able to. At first, he'd thought her silence to be from the wounds. Talking had to be uncomfortable, her throat on fire most likely. Understandable. She didn't have to say a word, he'd say them all, until..

He'd actually _looked_ into her eyes....

And had seen...

Emptiness.

There was nothing _there_. No light or spark...The twinkling fire snuffed out. So he'd gripped her shoulders tightly, trying to come up with something to say but his mind refused to come up with words, instead envisioning her floating in the darkness, orbs all around her. Had he been too late..?

No. _No_. Wasn't too late. Wasn't. That would mean that Flash had failed...and he hadn't. They had both passed the stupid challenge, they had the damned orb, so _why was she staring into the distance with such a blank, shattered look on her face?! _

A strangled sound of pain came from Diana's throat and he realized his fingers had been digging deeply into her scarred flesh. Almost enough to bleed, bruising most definite.

The speedster was apologetic, but it _had_ gotten those deadened eyes to focus on him, so he managed to crush some of the guilt.

"Fl...sh...?"

Yes, _yes_! She recognized him! "I'm here, Diana."

Then she did the most horrifying thing of all.

She started to cry.

()

The tears wouldn't stop coming out. It was like all the pent up frustration of the last several months were finally breaking free yet instead of feeling _better_, relieved that she could cry (finally), the trailing liquid only served to deepen the holes in her mind, the ones deep in her soul that no one seemed to notice but her.

How long had she sat there, staring at Flash, just taking in the glorious sight of him, watching _emotions_ flit across that face? Ages, it must of been, with how worried he was acting. Only she couldn't find it in herself to care, to apologize for scaring him because all she could think...all she could focus on...

Was how bitterly disappointed she was that she'd made it out alive.

That Flash hadn't given up.

"It's okay...I know it was...scary with the orbs and when they touched you...you felt..._things_ but we made it out okay and..."

She hadn't wanted to.

Diana had _wanted_...

"Y'u...din' give up?" Hurt to talk, her throat rattling with the abuse and effort it took to even form those few words. Only she had to let him know.

His face brightened. "Well...no. I mean, how could I?" A flirtatious grin. "I had a gorgeous woman depending on me."

_Hera why did he have to say that?_ Why? Because now the tears were falling harder and her body was shaking and how could she even hope to form sentences like this? "I...I did."

A pause, about three seconds, but long for Wally. "What?"

"I din' wanna...Jus'...s'rry..." Sorry, because those words had hurt, and she knew they had. Flash had continued on because of her. He'd continued to fight **for** her.

Diana hadn't returned the favor.

Hadn't...._wanted_ to.

"Oh." One word. One syllable. That was all it took, for him to convey just how crushed he was. Her soul ached, screaming at her for daring to harm Wally (_how could you he's been nothing but kind and loving and you throw it in his face--_), and she wanted to call out to the speedster, as he zipped away, only darkness was catching up and it was too much.

_I'm sorry...I'm sorry I couldn't be as brave as you, Wally. But it hurt too much...it just...I just wanted..._

She'd just wanted to see him smile again.

()

J'onn was burning.

It didn't make sense, that he was burning, when his skin felt so unbelievably cold, like before when he'd thought they'd all died, leaving him alone, only this was the type of cold that seeped in _everywhere_, tainting everything.

He was _burning_. So cold he was burning--a burning type of cold.

Realized his thoughts weren't making any sense, rambling, couldn't get his mind under control, he'd felt it before it had ended, the tainted blackness that Wally had faced only he wasn't back to normal, no he was still so **angry **and clawing at his skin, trying to get the burning to stop. And it seemed to, burning turning to numbness as he clawed deeper, blood surfacing from the wounds, welling up so beautifully..

It calmed him, even more so when he ran his tongue along the scratches, lapping up the blood slowly.

Sensing another presence, he stopped, but then continued on once seeing who it was.

_Batman_.

His mate.

How wonderful.

Only, what did it matter? Bruce didn't care about anything at all anymore--why would this be any different?

A deep part of him wanted it to be. Wanted for it to matter, for Batman to be enraged at his actions, because even anger coming from the human would have been beautiful at this point. Alas, Batman just stood there with those annoyingly blank white _slits_.

The burning feeling was returning.

Enraged, he howled, clawing at his skin some more, desperate to make it _stop_, the taint it was everywhere, infecting him and he would never be whole never again--

Gloved-hands covered his own, stilling the motions. He looked up, chest heaving, angry at his _mate _for having stopped him. "**Don't touch me.**"

A blank voice, "Are you going to strike me if I do?"

"You actually want to touch me for once?" J'onn's voice was full of mocking and scorn. "I'm surprised."

"I touched you earlier." The fact that Batman was still keeping up with the conversation was a bit puzzling; they hadn't exchanged this many words in months.

The fact that their words were sharp, aimed to hurt, seemed but a small price to pay.

"After I struck you." Should have been horrified as the pattern revealed itself, but instead, he launched forward in a surprise attack, successfully pinning his mate to the ground. Who wasn't struggling to get away, just staring with that damned _mask_--with a frustrated growl J'onn roughly pulled off the cowl, tossing it over his shoulder carelessly.

Those blue eyes, finally revealed to him, just as cold and cruel as the white slits but much more interesting to look at.

_After I struck you. _And then there had been a kiss, followed by a wave of peace that had made everything fade away...

J'onn wanted to feel that peace again.

Leaning down, he gave Batman a rough kiss, nipping and biting at those lips to open. Batman, for his part, didn't respond, blank eyes focused inward.

_My touch does nothing for him, _his mind spat bitterly, and as if on a mission, his touches and nips turned more forceful, aimed at getting a response from his stone-like partner.

It seemed to work, as a particularly harsh bite (almost breaking the skin but not quite) caused a moan to spill forth and a breath to be inhaled sharply. Heh. With a satisfied smirk, he continued on his path, hands trailing downwards, soon....

"J'onn." His name, spilling from Batman's lips, spoken in _that _tone, was enough to stall his actions.

"**What?**" J'onn hissed, hating that he could be stopped by just that _voice_.

A slight trembling, coming from the muscular body beneath him. Oh how he wanted to run his hands over the scarred skin.. "If I asked..." A slight hitch in tone, followed by tight swallows. "..you to stop...would you?"

The Martian cocked his head, eyes roiling with emotion as he said, "If I said no, would it matter?" Would Batman care if J'onn continued on, regardless of how he felt or would he just let that too be swallowed up in the thick wafts of apathy that seemed to be his sole foundation now?

Blue orbs swirled, the cold fog leaving them, long enough for true emotions to show through.

They screamed at J'onn, saying what Bruce could not; that he was tired, hurt, angry, and just wanted all of this to stop because it was a never ending cycle and he was so **tired **of all the shouting and yelling and just wanted to sleep until all the pain went away and everything was normal again. It mattered, because what they _had_, mattered, and Bruce didn't want to lose it to the madness. Didn't want to have to sacrifice this, not this, because it was all they had left, and anything more...would just be too much.

"Yes," Bruce croaked out, the trembling increasing the longer J'onn stared down at him.

Finally, his mate nodded. "Okay." But he didn't get up. Instead he shifted down a bit, until he could rest his head on Bruce's chest, and hear the frantic fluttering of a human heart.

The trembling slowly died down, and J'onn almost smiled when he felt strong arms envelope him, tightly holding him in place.

A wave of contentment washed over them, different from before, not as strong, but just as real, managing to ease up the pain, to erase some of the damage done, repair damaged bridges, smooth down frayed nerves..

They fell asleep, in tune with the darkening sky.

It wasn't the same as the peaceful feeling from earlier...

But it was still beautiful.

()

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